I
remember the first time I heard Stevie
Ray Vaughan.
All I could think was, man, that's some guitar! The first time I
heard Jim
Allchin,
ditto. Maybe he isn't Stevie
Ray Vaughan,
but he's Jim
Allchin all
over the freakin' place and I figure if you have a love for the
rockin' side of R&B and rock 'n' roll, you'll feel the same.
Allchin can play!
I know you've heard it before, but he's a step beyond. I swear.
You love jammin' guitar, you have got
to
hear this guy.

Great
thing is, he isn't all guitar. Allchin surrounds himself with one
of the best bands I've heard in some time, from background singers
to horn section to some of the best blues players I've had the
pleasure of hearing, and makes it work!
Take a trip with me here and I'll explain. You want boogie,
Overclocked
rocks
(and steamrolls) you right back into the fifties and sixties, when
boogie ruled the clubs. And I mean steamrolls
you!
If that guitar got on the dance floor, it'd be knocking everyone
else off, it's so powerful. Listen to it loud? Be prepared for
your ears to bleed. Now hear me, it isn't the volume, it's the
power.
The way to use it is to dole it out in the right places and the
right place is Overclocked,
trust me. The swinging and bluesy Willow
Tree should
tell you that Allchin is no one-style kind of guy, the
jazz-influenced Hammond sound mixing with smooth background
harmonies good enough to have everyone in whatever place they're
playing bobbing their heads. You like fifties-era R&B? Allchin
and band nail it on Back
In the Swampand
change gears completely on the following Don't
Tell Me What To Do, a
song that does
remind
me of Stevie Ray, crunching rhythm guitar driving the song to its
logical conclusion. And blues? Why the hell not? Keely
Whitney steps
in to slow things down, laying her powerful, wavering and bluesy
voice over basic combo, giving way on the break to more Allchin
guitar magic. Break time next, folks, the instrumental Fall
laying
out Pete
Carr-like
riffs like you won't believe (Ever hear Carr's Not
a Word On It?
You should.). It's a beautiful break and a great setup for the
jivin' Dr. J,
a song right out of The
Juke Jumpersplaybook
(and if you haven't heard The
Juke Jumpers,
you should. Start with Border Radio,
part of the 1980-1981release.
It's a killer.). Mr.
Unknown has
a fifties rock 'n' roll ballad flavor to it that I find almost
enchanting (I say 'almost' because I'm a manand
not some love-infused teenager, but when I was one, I loved
leaning against my girl of choice and smelling her hair to this
kind of music). Back to Stevie Ray territory with Flirt,
which has this odd eighties chord progression or something (It's
probably just me). Whitney steps back in to duet it out with
Allchin on the medium tempo love song, Perfect
Game, and
the upbeat rocker Just
Playin' With Me takes
over from there, the full combo getting in on the act (the ending
is smokin'!).
Then, standard blues on The
Onesets
up the closer, the light-jazz-loungey Opening
My Eyes to Love,
a surprise in its floating instrumental beauty. Most players would
end it with a bang and, in a way, Allchin does (his guitar is
amazing), but it is as far from the earbleeding Overclocked
as
you can imagine.

Listen
to me when I say that this is blues but it isn't. This is beyond
blues. Jim
Allchin?
You'll be hearing more about him. If I was you, though, I would be
checking him out right away. Sort of beating the rush, if you know
what I mean. He is the kind of guy when you mention him at a
party, you get quizzical looks, but at the next party, you get
slaps on the back. That's called building your musical cachet.
What I call it is damn good stuff. Damn good.